Entry 89: Mikkeller It's Alive

Mikkeller

Copenhagen, Denmark
(Brewed @ De Proef Brouwerij, Lochristi-Huefte, Belgium


Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Availability: Limited - (Brewed Once)
Format: 750ml
ABV: 8.0%


Bottle text & Info:

"It's Alive! is Mikkellers answer and tribute to the trappist beer Orval. It's Alive is an easy-to-drink beer, with a lot of hops. The color is amber, the foam is high, white and dense. The potent Brettanomyces culture makes It's Alive continue to develop in the bottle.

Ingredients :
Water, malt (pale and cara), light candy, hops (hallertauer and styrian goldings), yeast and brettanomyces."

Tasting Notes:
Pours a rusty copper with a huge, voluminous antique white head, leaving sticky lacing and craggy rock like foam structures behind. Smells of some sweet dark fruit, caramel malts and candied figs. Incredibly smooth medium mouthfeel burst forward with a hop snap mellowing seamlessly into a sweet, chewy caramel center. Deftly handled bretts bring the funk but are not at all off putting nor dominant. An absolutely phenomenal representation of the great Belgian Wild Ales. 

Day 79: 03.20.10 Mikkeller Chinook Single Hop IPA

Mikkeller

brewed at De Proef Brouwerij
Municipality of Lochristi
Province of East Flanders
Region of Flemish, Belgium


Chinook Single Hop India Pale Ale


Style: American India Pale Ale
Availability: ?
Format: 330ml
ABV: 6.9%


Bottle text & Info:
The newest in a line of sporadically released single hop IPA's from the most famous homebrewers in Europe.


Tasting Notes:
Pours a hazy burnt apricot color with a two finger off white head that retains quite well. Smells of tart citrus and earth. Medium mouthfeel explodes forward with some toasty malt, some orange notes, pine and a good dose of white pepper prickling on the finish. I heard someone mention that this reminded them of an old school west coast IPA. I think that description is pretty appropriate and about sums this one up. A pretty clear look at one of the US's most prominent high alpha acid hops.

Day 51. 02.20.10 Van Twee (De Proef/Bell's Collaboration)

De Proef Brouwerij (bvba Andelot)
Municipality of Lochristi
Province of East Flanders
Region of Flemish


De Proef Brewmasters Collaboration Series.
Van Twee: A collaboration featuring John Mallet of Bell's Brewing Inc. (Kalamazoo, Michigan) and Dirk Naudts of De Proef Brouwerij


Style: Dark Belgian Ale
Availability: Limited - One Time Brew
Format: 750ml
ABV: 7.5%


Bottle text & Info

Tasting Notes: 
"Van Twee" is Flemish for "from two." just puttin' it out there. Pretty awesome collaboration here. Let's have a taste. Pours incredibly dark, nearly black with a billowing tan head. Shows good retention with big sticky lacing. Big earthy nose, with some oak and vinegar making way for dominant dark cherry. Growing up in the frozen tundra of Michigan and the cherry capital of the world - the smell is sweet sweet nostalgia. Mouthfeel is medium to full body with some interesting porter and flemish notes. Pretty accurate when the press-release described this as a mash up of porter and dubbel styles. Starts out with some tart cherry juice coupling with subtle bretts and vinegar followed by more cherry interlaced with some roasted barley/chocolate notes - finishing dry. An incredible pulling together of styles that is masterfully done. Key trademarks of Flemish sours, Belgian Dubbels and American Porters are all pulled together by tart dark cherry. A really awesome sipper and a true one-of-a-kind experience.

Day 41: 02.10.10 Magus Belgoo

Belgoobeer
Municipality of Binche
Province of Hainaut
Region of Walloon, Belgium


Magus


Style: Belgian Pale Ale
Availability: Year Round
Format: 330ml
ABV: 6.6%
Malt: Barley, Wheat, Oats, German Wheat
Hops: Saaz


Bottle text & Info:

Belgoo Magus is a unique top fermented 4 grains craft beer.We use as main ingredients barley malt, wheat malt, Oats, German Wheat (triticum spelta) and Saaz hops.It is a 100% natural, non-filtered beer which, when poured in, gives a turbid white look to the beer.Belgoo Magus is, like all Belgoo beers, a "living" beer due to a last fermentation in the bottle by adding yeast just before bottling.Belgoo Magus accompanies perfectly seafood and more spicy dishes.


Tasting Notes:
Was given this by Sean of Ararat. I guess they're testing this one out to see if it's something they wanna bring into the state. Was initially confused as they are listed on BeerAdvocate as being brewed by Brasserie La Binchoise. This is not correct. Belgoo is a separate and new company that shares the same building (a no doubt, equipment) as La Binchoise. Alright. Let's crack this guy.


Pours a vibrant apricot color with some slight yeast haze. A generous white head settles nice and slow. Smells distinctly of pale malt with some clove, orchard fruit, grain and slight estery notes. Nice and creamy mouthfeel thanks to spot on carbonation. Candied pear, Banana, slight clove and lemon. Saaz on the finish imparts a sort of musky dryness. 


Bottom line: This is an above average Belgian Pale. It's light and refreshing, I would love to sit out on a late spring night on the Belgian cobblestone streets, and sip this. With that being said, this is just missing something - another gear flavor wise. Being a young brewery in a country brewing beers steeped in hundred year traditions, you can probably chalk this ales shortcomings up to not yet possessing an awesome yeast strain. Solid yes. Steller, no.

Day 35: 02.04.10 St. Bernardus Abt. 12

Brewerij St. Bernardus NV

Village of Watou
Province of West Flanders, Belgium


Style: Quadrupel
Availability: Year Round
Format: 750ml, 330ml - 4pk
ABV: 10.5%


Bottle text & Info:

Water, pumped up from a depth of 150 meter is the basis of all St. Bernardus beers. This water is not only the purest but has also a historical background. Scientists have proved that the water that is pumped up now, is originating from rainfall from the time of Jeanne d’Arc. The water seeped to Watou through a pervious stratum of sand from the St. Omer area in France. After brewing, the beer is maturing in a natural way and subsequently bottled unfiltered. By adding sugar and yeast, the beer gets a second fermentation in the bottle, carbonating the beer in a natural way. This gives the beer a beautiful and large froth. Abt 12 is the absolute top quality in the hierarchy of the St. Bernardus beers. It is also the beer with the highest alcohol content (10.50 %).A dark ivory coloured beer with a high fermentation. The show piece of the brewery. Thanks to its soft and unconditionally genuine aroma, the beer can be smoothly tasted. The Abt has a very fruity flavour.

Tasting Notes: 
Pours a dark brown with a billowy cream colored head that froths and bubbles like some sort of cauldron elixir. Smells are those associated with belgian yeast, some clove, alcoholic esters, and soapy notes courtesy of Mr. Brettanomycies yeast. Sweet yet amazingly complex from start to finish, this is proof that a Quad doesn't have to be heavy and it doesn't have to be this hot syrupy thing. This beer is all about elegance. It has a light mouthfeel that taste full bodied, it's slick without becoming sticky. Flavor just explode from front to back. A nice caramel malt base lays down the foundation for some port like fruit flavors; currant, plum, sweet cherries followed by cane sugar ending with spicy clove. Some people will complain that the carbonation level on this is too high but for me that's what keeps so unbelievably drinkable. Hands down the best readily available Belgian Quad. For those searching for Westvleteren 12 (yellow cap), stop. Anything found in the United States got here illegally and is grey market. Have some ethics. Drink this. These abbeys have been closely associated and although this doesn't hold the prestige as the Westy, Bernardus shares the same yeast strain as Westvleteren and remains one of the worlds true beer gems.


Side note: the bottle label on the back of this label says that it is brewed in the classic "dubbel style of Belgium's best Abbey Ales." This confused me initially. After many google searches and internet explorations, I have confirmed that this is indeed a Quad. Silly monks.

Day 30: 01.30.10 Gulden Draak

Brouwerj Van Steenberge N.V.

Village of Ertvelde 
Municipality of Evergem
Province of East Flanders,  Belgium


Gulden Draak Ale


Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale - Dark Tripel
Availability: Year Round
Format: 330ml, 750ml, 1.5l
ABV: 10.5%


Bottle text & Info:
Gulden Draak is a dark heavy beer with 10.5% alcohol by volume. Gulden Draak, just like Augustijn, is a beer that undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle or in the keg. Gulden Draak is a beer in a class of its own. It is a beer that is so rich, so glowing, so full of its very own characteristic flavor, that it reminds some who try it of chocolate and others of coffee. The English call this type of beer a Barley Wine. Gulden Draak (Golden Dragon) smells of triumph. It is a definite party beer. It is no wonder that Gulden Draak was crowned best beer in the world by the American Tasting Institute in 1998! This beer won many other awards as well. Did you know that the Gulden Draak is named for the golden statue at the top of the clock tower of Ghent? The statue was originally given to the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul in Turkey) by the Norse king Sigrid Magnusson in 1111, during one of the first crusades; hence of course the form of a Viking ship that the beast was given. Approximately one hundred years later, Boudewijn IX, Count of Flanders, was the Emperor of Constantinople in one of the following crusades. Because he found the statue so beautiful, he simply took it back to Flanders with him. In 1382, the cities of Bruges and Ghent even did battle for this statue. And who do you think won? 


Tasting Notes:
Pours brown with a generous off-white head. Clings and slide down the glass. Smells of beet sugar and caramel. Taste like someone dipped a caramel apple into a Westmalle Tripel. Delicious. Very much a triple so don't let the designation of this a Belgian Strong Ale fool you. Very much a dark tripel so expect the esther/yeasty and fruit flavor of a tripel with some added dark fruit and caramel malt notes. Sweet with a tangy finish and the alcohol is super well masked. One of the Belgian greats and an ale that motivates me to get back over seas. I must track down these belgian breweries and abbys! Cellarable up to two year after bottling.